Choose a title from the Outstanding Science Trade Books lists of the past few years. Select a book intended for any level from PK- Professional. In your comments, discuss how it could used in a high school class.
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12


Judy Oakley
The Frog Scientist by Pamela S. Turner with photography by Andy Comins/Houghton Mifflin Books for Children 2009
Summary: A Columbia, South Carolina native and Harvard graduate, Tyrone Hayes studies the effects of pesticides on frogs and their environments. It is important work as Tyrone states at the end of the book, "Environmental health and human health are one and the same." The book follows his research in the field and in the laboratory. At the conclusion of the book, no definitive answer is given as the research in this area continues. Stunning photography by Andy Collins enhances the book if one is inclined toward photographs of frogs and disecctions. :-)
Grade level: 5-8 grade level
Uses: individual reading
Subject tie-in:

• Literature: perhaps
• science: definitely
• other: environmental studies

High yield strategy for reading skill development:

1. inference
2. cause and effect
3. summarizing for comprehension

Comments: This book is written on a sixth grade level with extremely simple syntax and diction. With most of my students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, particulary AP Environmental Science, I am open to suggestions for uses in my classroom. Perhaps for pictures to illustrate a powerpoint. GREAT photography.

Jean White
Lucy Long Ago: uncovering the mystery of where we came from by Catherine Thimmesh/Houghlin Mifflin Books for Children/2009
Summary: Paleoanthropologist, Donald Johanson, found a fossil skeleton in 1974 in Ethiopia. What he discovered was a 3.2 million year old hominid that changed the current family tree of man. They called it 'Lucy' because they were listening to the Beatle's song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" when they uncovered it. Thimmesh artfully and plainly describes how fossils are formed, how bone formation indicate sex and age, the process of potassium-argon dating, the comparison of Lucy with other known hominid species and how she 'fits in' to the lineage. The book is full of meaningful color photos and has a glossary and index.
Grade level: Upper Elementary, Middle, High
Uses: individual & class reading
Subject tie-in: Science
High Yield Strategy for Reading Skill Development:

1. inference – what fossils tell us; comparison of Lucy’s structure to other known hominids
2. cause and effect – fossil formation
3. point of view –
4. author's purpose – scientific discovery
5. summarizing for comprehension – results of Lucy’s discovery

Comments: This would be a good book for introduction to a high school science topic. Written simply for the lay person, Lucy is an interesting and intriguing book for pleasure reading.
Awards/Honors: Best Children’s Books of 2009 from Kirkus Reviews
Best Books of 2009 from School Library Journal

Jean Downey
Greasy Rider by Greg Melville/Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill/2008
Summary: This book is an exploration of the quest for clean enery using a cross country road trip, by two friends in a grease powered Mercedes, to guide the reader through the pros and cons of clean energy sources available throughout the country. This topic is explored via the author's experiences, interactions, and interviews with experts. The book's experience driven narrative takes a lot of complicated information and presents it in an easy to read and understand format.
Grade level: Middle, High
Uses: individual reading, class reading, reference
Subject tie-in: Science/Social Studies
High Yield Strategy for Reading Skill Development:
1. inference-
2.cause and effect-
3. point of view-
4. author's purpose-
5. summarizing for comprehension-